Brilliant Earth vs. Grown Brilliance

If you’re shopping for an engagement ring online, you’ve probably come across both Brilliant Earth and Grown Brilliance.

Brilliant Earth designs their own rings, has 40+ stores across the US, and carries one of the largest selections of both natural and lab grown diamonds I’ve seen. Grown Brilliance is a lab grown-only brand with 17 stores across the US and one in Nassau, Bahamas. If you’ve already decided you want a lab grown stone, both stores offer lab grown options. If you haven’t decided between natural and lab grown yet, Brilliant Earth lets you compare both in one place.

I’ve been in this business for over 25 years. I’ve spent a lot of time on both websites. Here’s my honest take on how they compare and which one I’d go with if I were buying a ring today.

Bottom Line Up Front

Brilliant Earth is my recommendation for most buyers. Here’s why.

Brilliant Earth carries over 300,000 lab grown diamonds and more than 100,000 natural diamonds, all GIA or IGI certified. Brilliant Earth designs its own settings at a San Francisco studio, so you get styles you can’t buy anywhere else. And Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores where you can work one on one with a jewelry specialist and see the actual ring before you buy.

Grown Brilliance is a lab grown-only store. Their selection includes both lab grown diamonds and lab grown gemstones. So if you already know you want a lab grown ring and you live near one of their stores, they’re an option worth considering.

The difference comes down to range. Grown Brilliance covers lab grown. Brilliant Earth covers lab grown, natural, original design, and has a much larger store network. For most buyers, that makes Brilliant Earth the better choice.

In the sections below I explain why.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

• Quick Comparison Table
• Designs and Collections
• Diamond Selection
• Shopping Experience
• Sourcing and Sustainability
• Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?
• FAQs

Quick Comparison Table

Designs and Collections

Brilliant Earth has their own San Francisco design team that creates original settings you won’t find anywhere else. Their selection also covers natural and lab grown diamonds, natural and lab grown gemstones, wedding bands, and fine jewelry. Most buyers find what they want without going custom, but custom design is an option if you want it.

Grown Brilliance offers engagement rings in the primary style categories like solitaire, halo, three-stone, and more. Like Brilliant Earth, they also have a ring builder and 360° views. But Grown Brilliance doesn’t have a design team creating original settings. What you’re choosing from is a chosen set of styles, not something built by the brand’s own designers.

Advantage: Brilliant Earth for original design from their own team and a wider range of styles.

Diamond Selection

Brilliant Earth carries over 300,000 lab grown diamonds and more than 100,000 natural diamonds, all GIA or IGI certified. That is one of the largest diamond selections I have seen online.

Grown Brilliance sells lab grown only. Right now they have about 70,000 lab grown diamonds on their site. That is a lot of stones, but it is a smaller pool than Brilliant Earth’s, and every one of them is lab grown.

Here is why that matters. If you have already decided on a lab grown diamond, both stores can serve you. But if you are still choosing between lab grown and natural, Grown Brilliance cannot help you compare. They do not sell natural diamonds at all.

Brilliant Earth lets you see both in one place. You can put a lab grown stone next to a natural one, check the prices, and decide what fits you. You do not have to lock into one type before you start.

Advantage: Brilliant Earth for more stones to choose from and the option to compare lab grown and natural side by side.

Shopping Experience

How do you want to shop for an engagement ring? Your answer probably decides which of these two is the better fit.

Brilliant Earth gives you the full set of online tools: 360° diamond images, a ring builder that pairs any setting with any stone, and virtual appointments. The bigger piece is their 40+ stores across the US, where you can try on styles and work one on one with a jewelry specialist at your own pace. You book an appointment, and someone walks you through your options. You can also ask to have specific diamonds brought to your local store so you can see them next to your chosen setting.

Grown Brilliance has been building out its store locations. As of 2026, they have 18 locations total: 17 in the US and one in Nassau, Bahamas. That includes a SoHo flagship in New York City that opened in late 2025. The in-store experience is appointment-based, but coverage is limited compared to Brilliant Earth. If you’re not near a Grown Brilliance location, you’re shopping entirely online.

Most people don’t buy engagement rings very often. No matter how good the photos are on a website, there’s a real difference between seeing a ring on a screen and holding it in your hand. Can you buy a great ring online without ever going to a store? Yes. But having that option changes the experience in a way that online-only shopping can’t. With 40+ stores in more cities, Brilliant Earth makes it more likely there’s one near you.

Advantage: Brilliant Earth for a more personal, guided shopping experience, both online and in person, plus wider store coverage across the US.

Sourcing & Sustainability

Both stores work to keep their materials responsible, so the fair way to compare them is on the two things they both sell: metals and lab grown diamonds. On metals, Brilliant Earth uses 99.5% repurposed gold and 96.4% repurposed silver. Grown Brilliance uses 96% recycled gold.

On lab grown diamonds, the two are similar. Both offset emissions from growing, cutting, and polishing their stones. Brilliant Earth goes one step further and audits its lab diamond suppliers against its own standard, which it built in 2022 because the industry did not have one.

Here is the part that sets Brilliant Earth apart. Grown Brilliance sells lab grown only, so the responsible choice there is the lab grown path and nothing else. Brilliant Earth gives you a responsible option on both sides. If you want a natural diamond, Brilliant Earth holds it to the Beyond Conflict Free™ standard, which less than 1% of natural diamonds meet. So you do not have to choose between a natural stone and a clear conscience. You get both.

Advantage: Brilliant Earth for higher repurposed metal use and a responsible choice on both lab grown and natural diamonds, not just lab grown.

Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?

For most buyers, Brilliant Earth covers a lot more ground than Grown Brilliance.

Brilliant Earth designs its own settings, so you get styles you can’t get elsewhere. Brilliant Earth carries both natural and lab grown diamonds, so you can compare the two in one place. Brilliant Earth holds its natural diamonds to the Beyond Conflict Free™ standard, which less than 1% of natural diamonds qualify for. And Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores, so there’s a better chance one is near you.

Grown Brilliance is a lab grown-only store with a focused selection. If you’ve already committed to lab grown and want a straightforward shopping experience, it’s worth considering.

Grown Brilliance does lab grown. Brilliant Earth does lab grown, natural, original design, and a much larger store network. That’s why Brilliant Earth is one of my highest-recommended stores and one of the first places I send readers when they’re ready to start shopping.

Visit https://www.brilliantearth.com/ to explore their full diamond and engagement ring inventory.

FAQ

Which is better, Brilliant Earth or Grown Brilliance?

For most buyers, Brilliant Earth is the stronger option. Brilliant Earth has original ring designs, 40+ stores, Beyond Conflict Free™ sourcing, and one of the largest selections of both natural and lab grown diamonds available. Grown Brilliance has a lot of lab grown options, but doesn’t offer the same depth of design or store coverage.

Does Grown Brilliance sell natural diamonds?

No. Grown Brilliance sells lab grown diamonds only. If you want to compare natural and lab grown diamonds side by side, or if you want a natural diamond, Brilliant Earth is the right choice.

How many stores does each brand have?

Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores across the US. Grown Brilliance has 18 locations as of 2026, 17 in the US and one in Nassau, Bahamas. If you want the better odds of a store near you, Brilliant Earth has wider coverage.

Are Brilliant Earth diamonds certified?

Yes. Brilliant Earth’s diamonds are all IGI or GIA certified. Their natural diamonds also must pass the Beyond Conflict Free™ sourcing standard, which less than 1% of natural diamonds meet.

Which store has better pricing?

Both price consistently year-round with no rotating sales. Grown Brilliance focuses on lab grown, which is generally more affordable than natural, so it can be competitive on the stone itself. But prices vary, so compare a few. On design, sourcing, selection, and in-person experience, Brilliant Earth offers more for your money.

Can you customize a ring at Brilliant Earth?

Yes. Brilliant Earth has their own design team creating hundreds of original settings, plus full custom design if you want something built from scratch. You can work with a jewelry specialist online, through a virtual appointment, or at any of Brilliant Earth’s 40+ stores.

Does Brilliant Earth sell lab grown diamonds?

Yes. Brilliant Earth carries over 300,000 lab grown diamonds, all IGI or GIA certified. You can pair any lab grown diamond with any Brilliant Earth setting through the ring builder or during a store visit.

About the author

Mike Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.